Interview with Audrey Barbier-Litvak, WeWork's Managing Director for Southern Europe

A need for places where people are part of a community

How do you encourage a new way of life through your workspaces?

Audrey Barbier-Litvak - Our mission at WeWork is to create a world where people work to live their lives, not just to earn them. We provide the space, services and tools that enable people to be more productive while connecting with others from different backgrounds and industries. At a time when loneliness is on the increase As a result of increased disconnection through digital technology, there is a growing need for places where people can come together and be part of a community. It's clear that the shift towards this new way of working has begun. People are looking for a more flexible and motivating environment; companies want to promote employee well-being. Our community has more than 400,000 members around the world, who collaborate on a daily basis and create meaningful links.

What best describes the WeWork offer? The design, the atmosphere, the networking?

A. B.-L. - I think it's all these things - the space, the community and the services - that make WeWork so special and unique. It's a place where people can get together and talk, discuss new ideas and innovate together. People who work from home, or even in cafés, want to be in a place where they can communicate with others. Our community teams are the key function of our spaces. They create the atmosphere, ensuring that our members take part in networking activities. They are there to meet their needs, to arrange for them to meet other members to develop their business, but also to organise weekly events, whether it's a lunch debate or a fitness class. Our members can take part in any event we organise, anywhere. We create that familiar 'home away from home' feeling in the 425 spaces we offer around the world.

Is your global reach a key asset?

A. B.-L. - One of the best things we offer our members is worldwide access. Our members are able to access any WeWork in any city in the world and work from our sites. Our business customers really appreciate the benefit of being able to travel within different WeWorks. Research shows that 30 % of them have WeWork offices in several cities. Travelling for work is becoming an easier process, and we support this movement.

Coworking is becoming increasingly attractive to large companies, not just start-ups and SMEs. Have you noticed?

A. B.-L. - In fact, we don't see ourselves as a coworking company: we're a community company, and it's this aspect that attracts the big groups. They want to share an environment with small businesses and entrepreneurs. Companies with more than 1,000 employees now represent 32 % of our total membership. In Paris, we see strong demand from companies such as Thales and Carrefour, who have joined us at Avenue de France. Internationally, the best-known member companies are Salesforce, BlackRock and Microsoft, and in London, for example, we have CitiBank in one of our establishments, which uses the space for its innovation laboratory.

Companies with more than 1,000 employees now account for 32 % of all our members.

How is WeWork meeting their current and future needs?

A. B.-L. - Over the last few years, we've noticed that these large companies are coming to us more and more often because they're looking for a new partner. a more dynamic environmentThey are more productive and more inspiring for their employees. They think more about the well-being of their employees and want to ensure they are motivated at work and in an environment where they can meet other people. Research shows that a third of our members in London, for example, say that other members have given them ideas on how to improve their businesses.

What are you proposing to all these major groups?

A. B.-L. - Although there are many cases of companies taking up private offices with us around the world, due to demand we have introduced new business sectors to accommodate them, such as Powered by We and headquarters by WeWork. Powered by We is a global offer of collaborative workspaces where we work closely with companies to provide them with the best possible working environment, the one that suits them best. We bring the key elements of a WeWork environment - technology, flexibility and community - to corporate spaces. We believe that by leveraging these three elements, we can create the most pleasant working experience and the most efficient. Headquarters by WeWork, is a similar offer to Powered by We except that we go into spaces that are not necessarily rented by WeWork. These customised offers are incredibly attractive to large companies that have come to WeWork in search of a more employee-friendly workplace, such as UBS.

Is France a key market for WeWork in Europe? How many spaces do you plan to have in Paris and perhaps in the main regional cities such as Lyon, Lille or Bordeaux?

A. B.-L. - We opened our first space in Paris, rue la Fayette, in 2017, with over 2,000 members and we now have four other WeWork locations in the city, with a growing community of over 8,000 members. When we launched in France, we recognised it as a a key market for usThere are many reasons for this: the business opportunities, the commercial transactions, its creative pool of entrepreneurs in various sectors such as fashion, technology and design, and its accessibility. Almost two years later, we are still convinced that this market is incredibly important not only for WeWork, but also for our members. We see the demand for this new way of working growing, and we hope to expand our presence in Paris, and France as a whole.

How do you see your company in 5 to 10 years' time? How many WeWork sites do you plan to have around the world?

A. B.-L. - I'm confident that our presence in France and the rest of Southern Europe will continue to grow. We are currently in cities such as Paris, Madrid and Barcelona, and we have announced new cities such as Milan and Brussels. We are always on the lookout for new markets and attractive locations. We recently announced our expansion into Africa, where we will open our first office in South Africa this year. Our priorities are to continue to grow our presence around the world to reach more potential members and to continue to offer our existing members the best programmes and services locally. As our membership grows, so will the opportunities for our members to expand their activities by working with a wider network and community. It's something we know how to make work: research shows that over 45 % of our member businesses say WeWork has helped accelerate their growth.